Fearless Females: Brick Walls & Mystery Women in My Family Tree

There are so many mystery women in family tree. I wrote about several of them in both 2009 and 2010, and--for the most part-- those women have remained mysteries despite all my best efforts. I am constantly searching for clues--any clues whatsoever--that might help me find maiden names, marriage records, parents' names, census records and more. Here is a link to 2010's blog post listing several of them: Fearless Females: Mystery Women in My Family Tree

And here is a list of even more female "brick walls" for 2011:

RACHEL BAREE (aka Barre, Barry, Berry, Baryea, etc). She was born about 1730-1740 in New York (not sure exact location) and married JEREMIAH MARTINE, and they settled in Haverstraw, Orange Co NY. She may have had a sister Susanna Baree/Barre who married William Felter in Clarkstown, Rockland/Orange Co NY; RACHEL named a daugher Susannah/Susanna. Her father's name may have been "Isaac" or "Abraham" as those two first names did not appear in previous generation of the Martine family.

CHARITY, wife of JAMES PALMER, born April 20, 1731 (birthdate unverified by me) probably New York or Fairfield Co CT. JAMES PALMER was of Greenwich, Fairfield Co CT, but moved to Dutchess Co NY sometime after 1756. One of their eldest sons was GABRIEL PALMER b abt 1752 who married ABIGAIL LOUNSBURY, my great X 5 grandparents, who named a son HANMER PALMER b abt 1778 Fairfield Co CT. This is the only clue I have been able to glean, so far. Clearly HANMER PALMER was named with the surname of a relative, and it wasn't from his mother ABIGAIL LOUNSBURY's family! It is possible that CHARITY was somehow descended from GABRIEL LUDLOW b 1697 who married SARAH HANMER, daughter of Rev JOSEPH HANMER of New York. But how? and who? There were no Hanmers or Ludlows living in Fairfield Co CT during the time period.

MAGDALENA, born about 1750 PA or Germany, the wife of JACOB HUBER Sr. JACOB died Oct 8, 1803 in Berlin, Brother's Valley twp, Somerset Co PA according to his will. He left his wife well-off, with land, a house in the town, and household goods. Only one son, WILLIAM/WILHELM HUBER is listed in the will--although baptism records show there were indeed several other children. I have not been able to trace this couple previous to 1797, when they arrived in Brother's Valley twp, Somerset Co (then Bedford Co), PA (according to church records). MAGDALENA is a complete mystery. (she is not, by the way, MAGDALENA SCHOLL who married JACOB HUBER of Milford twp, Bucks Co PA. They are a completely different couple).

TRYPHENA FISHER (aka Trufener, Triffinah, etc) born about 1737 in Ireland? Delaware? Maryland? She married CURTIS OTWELL Sr and died in Sussex Co DE. She was supposedly the daughter of HENRY FISHER, and they were likely Quakers. Ann M Frazier Way, a descendent, wrote a letter in 1898 that listed all children & spouses; the letter indicated that CURTIS OTWELL and his wife TRYPHENA FISHER were from Ireland. But many other sources & records connect CURTIS OTWELL with an Otwell family from England that lived for several generations in Jamestown VA, MD & DE. TRYPHEN is listed as "Trufener" on her husband's 1779 Sussex Co DE will; children are mentioned but not listed. At least two of the children of TRYPHENA FISHER & CURTIS OTWELL Sr married Quakers and/or joined the Quaker church.

According to Ed Brezenger, TRIFFINAH OTWELL (likely the widowed wife of CURTIS OTWELL) is listed in the 1790 Northwest Fork Hundred, Delaware census. I have not yet seen this record myself. Another source I found indicates that the 1790 Delaware census was destroyed in the war of 1812. So now I am very confused.

ELIZABETH McLEAN born April 7, 1748 in County Down, Ulster Province, N Ireland; married on June 1, 1762 in N Ireland (exact location unknown) PATRICK McDONALD who was born March 17, 1727/1728 in Invernesshire, Scotland. This couple settled in Douglas twp, Hants Co, Nova Scotia, Canada. The source for this information is the book, "Rawdon & Douglas: Two Loyalist Townships in Nova Scotia" by John V Duncanson. ELIZABETH died Nov 3, 1796, Upper Kennetcook, Hants Co, Nova Scotia, Canada. I have a lot of facts--birth, death, marriage--but no information on her parents.

ELIZABETH TOAL (aka Tole, O'Toole, Toole) born 1730-1740 in probably Ulster Province, N Ireland; married sometime after 1755 JOHN RINES Sr (aka Ranes, Rhines, etc), who was from Corn Hill (Truro), Barnstable Co MA. JOHN was conscripted in the British Army and was a soldier at the time of the expulsion of the French Acadians from Nova Scotia. He decided to settle in Hants Co Nova Scotia, rather than return to Massachusetts. The source for this information is the book, "Rawdon & Douglas: Two Loyalist Townships in Nova Scotia" by John V Duncanson, and several other historical references. Unfortunately I have never been able to trace ELIZABETH previous to her marriage to JOHN RINES Sr.